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I wonder what the backlash would be like if DirecTV instituted a "high priced locals" fee. Charge an extra $2 in any market that had more than six local channels. After all it is expensive to create and maintain spotbeams for local channels and people in those markets are using more space on the satellite than people in markets with less stations. Plus with retransmission consent, DirecTV may be paying more per station in a larger market than they do in a small market. (Not having WABC due to a contract dispute would be a bad thing.)

People want the option of dumping RSNs to save the fees ... how about dumping locals to save the fees?

Sounds like they did a less than ideal job of notifying, but that is (unfortunately) to be expected. DirecTV is just a cable company in the sky and engages in many of the same business practices. They hope you just keep paying every month without noticing that anything has changed. Making the notification real obvious would probably upset more people when some will pay the extra few dollars without ever noticing at all.

Sounds like they did a less than ideal job of notifying, but that is (unfortunately) to be expected. DirecTV is just a cable company in the sky and engages in many of the same business practices. They hope you just keep paying every month without noticing that anything has changed. Making the notification real obvious would probably upset more people when some will pay the extra few dollars without ever noticing at all.

funny it seems like this is the same for every electronic bill that I receive - my last months electric bill had a line - "Price increase effective 02/01/2013 - details here", same with the water bill, the gas bill and almost every bill I get electronicly. It comes down to personal responsiblity - if you don't review the bills monthly, and just blinldy pay them the surprises are your bad.

Maybe the link should have been formated like this

"Effective 2/7/13, new pricing will be applied to DIRECTV programming packages and services. Click here for more complete details

I reviewed my bill for February and found a new $2 charge for Regional Sports Networks. I called DirecTV to complain about not being notified and told them I didn't want the regional sports networks anyways but they said it couldn't be removed. I told them I would downgrade my package and they said I would lose my $10 credit for HD for life. You can't win here. When I asked the CSR how much longer I had a commitment to DirecTV she transferred me to another department. I told the new CSR my story and he couldn't find where DirecTV notified me about the new charge. Alex, the CSR, also said this was a mandated fee from the FCC but he would credit me the $2 for one year. Oh well, better in my pocket.

Higher than your property taxes? Higher than your electric bill? I need to move to Pennsylvania.

Just a question, when your Car Insurance bill goes up, do you get more protection? When your electric bill goes up do you get more electricity or better electricity? Etc? Usually bills go up because the source costs to provide those services go up. No different for television, electricity, etc. Programming costs go up, so rates go up.

Higher than your property taxes? Higher than your electric bill? I need to move to Pennsylvania.

My electric bill is still smaller than the $178 stated ... but my property taxes are under $900 per year - which is a low bar if one wants other bills to be lower ($75 per month).

But I get his point. When one is looking at their bills picking off the highest ones and asking how do I get this one to be lower is valid.

Just a question, when your Car Insurance bill goes up, do you get more protection? When your electric bill goes up do you get more electricity or better electricity? Etc?

Features can be added to car insurance when the rates go up. Perhaps the company adds "Accident Forgiveness" or "Vanishing Deductible" or some other feature that costs less than the increase. Electric companies can improve service - which is not normally seen unless there is an outage or frequent brown outs. The improvements are hidden.

Usually bills go up because the source costs to provide those services go up. No different for television, electricity, etc. Programming costs go up, so rates go up.

With the DirecTV press releases and rate increase notices touting all the new stuff DirecTV is offering (and BTW here are our new rates) it would seem that DirecTV's problem is with added features ... including things added that their customers might not want to pay for ... along with the standard "cost of what you already have" rate increases.

While customers are technically not forced to pay for their RSNs the alternative has been made undesirable ... limiting the subscriber to a package that does not include valuable entertainment options. Customers can't get the Cooking Channel or IFC without paying for RSNs - or DIY, Biography, H2, Nat Geo Wild, Destination America, WGN, Fox Business and other channels. All are off the table unless the customer pays for their RSNs.

So customers have to suck it up, pay for RSNs and pay the additional RSN fee (in select markets) just to get those non-sports entertainment channels. Not exactly a "choice".

Higher than your property taxes? Higher than your electric bill? I need to move to Pennsylvania.

I've been trying to convince my wife to move to PA for years for just those reasons. But, PA has begun to raise property taxes along the Delaware River so that they're more in line with NJ property taxes.

We pay over $200 a month for D* service and that's one of our lower bills.

Higher than your property taxes? Higher than your electric bill? I need to move to Pennsylvania.

Just a question, when your Car Insurance bill goes up, do you get more protection? When your electric bill goes up do you get more electricity or better electricity? Etc? Usually bills go up because the source costs to provide those services go up. No different for television, electricity, etc. Programming costs go up, so rates go up.

My car insurance went from $1600 a year down to $1200 a year with Geico, I haven't had an increase in about 9 years. And yes I have more insurance now then I did 5 years ago. And More expensive cars as well!

If you guys have constant car insurance increases, Maybe you should learn how to drive, or spend some time away from DBS talk and Directv and shop around a little.

Electric bill goes up and down , 2 years ago it was .10 and now it .755 per KLWH. So has my bill increased sure but it has also dropped. And its due for another drop as of March down to .725.

I've been trying to convince my wife to move to PA for years for just those reasons. But, PA has begun to raise property taxes along the Delaware River so that they're more in line with NJ property taxes.

We pay over $200 a month for D* service and that's one of our lower bills.

Rich

If you move to PA School Tax is the Killer.

We have one property in Wayne County where I live with 10 acres and I pay About $500 per year in property taxes but school tax is $2800. This is not bad!

Now my rental houses in Monroe County 1 acre each are $1300 Each on Property Taxes, and $5200 each on School taxes. So depending on where you choose in Pa makes a big difference.

But we do Have electric choice too, which allows you to choose your own Generation company which can save you a few extra dollars on your power.

My electric bill is still smaller than the $178 stated ... but my property taxes are under $900 per year - which is a low bar if one wants other bills to be lower ($75 per month).

But I get his point. When one is looking at their bills picking off the highest ones and asking how do I get this one to be lower is valid.

Features can be added to car insurance when the rates go up. Perhaps the company adds "Accident Forgiveness" or "Vanishing Deductible" or some other feature that costs less than the increase. Electric companies can improve service - which is not normally seen unless there is an outage or frequent brown outs. The improvements are hidden.

With the DirecTV press releases and rate increase notices touting all the new stuff DirecTV is offering (and BTW here are our new rates) it would seem that DirecTV's problem is with added features ... including things added that their customers might not want to pay for ... along with the standard "cost of what you already have" rate increases.

While customers are technically not forced to pay for their RSNs the alternative has been made undesirable ... limiting the subscriber to a package that does not include valuable entertainment options. Customers can't get the Cooking Channel or IFC without paying for RSNs - or DIY, Biography, H2, Nat Geo Wild, Destination America, WGN, Fox Business and other channels. All are off the table unless the customer pays for their RSNs.

So customers have to suck it up, pay for RSNs and pay the additional RSN fee (in select markets) just to get those non-sports entertainment channels. Not exactly a "choice".

The question is, how much choice does the provider have when you factor in possible penetration rate requirements in their agreements? I'm assuming that's why ESPN is in so many of the lower packages, due to penetration rate requirements.

The question is, how much choice does the provider have when you factor in possible penetration rate requirements in their agreements? I'm assuming that's why ESPN is in so many of the lower packages, due to penetration rate requirements.

The carriers are passing on their lack of choice to customers who then have a lack of choice. It is a broken system ... but since there is no better it is the system we have to work with.

The carriers have more leverage than the customers in this matter. Perhaps that is how DirecTV managed to introduce an RSN free "Entertainment" package last year ... finding a way to offer and market a lower price point that avoids the cost of RSNs (at the price of giving up getting dozens of other channels).

The carriers are our advocates in the matter. They are the ones with the final answer whether a channel is carried on their system or not. They are the ones who set the pricing structure. And they are the ones who have us as customers.

The carriers are passing on their lack of choice to customers who then have a lack of choice. It is a broken system ... but since there is no better it is the system we have to work with.

The carriers have more leverage than the customers in this matter. Perhaps that is how DirecTV managed to introduce an RSN free "Entertainment" package last year ... finding a way to offer and market a lower price point that avoids the cost of RSNs (at the price of giving up getting dozens of other channels).

The carriers are our advocates in the matter. They are the ones with the final answer whether a channel is carried on their system or not. They are the ones who set the pricing structure. And they are the ones who have us as customers.

I agree with most of that, though price setting I put more on the Networks than I do the carriers. I haven't heard of disputes because a network wants to lower their asking price, or even because a provider wants to lower their asking price. Most, from what i've read, stem from said Network wanting to raise their prices.--From the consumer standpoint though, it's alot easier to call and chew out your provider than it is a network. Which is why they have the leverage, because Network's dont' have to deal with the customer service end of the pricing like providers (nor suffer the competition of such).

We have one property in Wayne County where I live with 10 acres and I pay About $500 per year in property taxes but school tax is $2800. This is not bad!

Geez, every time I want to buy another house, something else I never heard of pops up. But $3,300 for property taxes and school taxes (we pay for our schools with our property taxes) still would save us quite a bit. We are paying ~ $8,000 a year now and a 5 grand savings would be nice.

Now my rental houses in Monroe County 1 acre each are $1300 Each on Property Taxes, and $5200 each on School taxes. So depending on where you choose in Pa makes a big difference.

And the closer you get to the Delaware River, the higher the taxes. And that's where we'd have to move.

But we do Have electric choice too, which allows you to choose your own Generation company which can save you a few extra dollars on your power.

We have that too. On average, our electric bill is a bit less than $400 a month.

I agree with most of that, though price setting I put more on the Networks than I do the carriers. I haven't heard of disputes because a network wants to lower their asking price, or even because a provider wants to lower their asking price. Most, from what i've read, stem from said Network wanting to raise their prices.

Very few buyers seek higher prices. Unless there is something wrong with the product they have been buying and they believe paying more would improve the product buyers seek lower prices.

Negotiations are secretive ... when they fall apart we occasionally get a glimpse as the providers and carriers make their claims in press releases and on websites. I have seen comments where it seemed that the demand of the network was a better tier placement and not specifically a higher price per subscriber. The gross payment to such a network would be higher if millions of subscribers were added - even at the same price or less per subscriber.

From the consumer standpoint though, it's alot easier to call and chew out your provider than it is a network. Which is why they have the leverage, because Network's dont' have to deal with the customer service end of the pricing like providers (nor suffer the competition of such).

I agree. We are the customers of the carrier not the network. Without the business relationship we have no standing with the network.

The networks have an easy answer ... "other carriers are paying the same as we are asking of DirecTV". Proof? Not available. However it seems that what other carriers are paying seems to keep going up.